However, we still need the landmark legislation that Lyndon Johnson said took away the "last major shackle" holding blacks back in this country.

The VRA law was passed in 1965 to make sure minorities could actually get to the polls and cast their ballots.

Before 1965, many Southern states went out of their way to keep black people away from the polls. Voters had to pay poll taxes – which had a disproportionate impact on blacks, whose incomes were lower.

Southern states also forced voters to take "literacy tests," which also effectively robbed many blacks of the right to vote.

In 2013, it's hard to imagine any state using either of these tactics, which have become synonymous with racism and voter intimidation.